WaKiNg Up
by thedeviltheangelandtheme
Summary: The eyes snapped back, looking alive, at the whisper of the name. The flower dropped to the ground. Widening in utter shock at the silver haired boy before, he stumbled a few feet back. Violence, AU. Rated for later Yaoi and such to come. On Haitus.
1. The Beginning

**-W**_a_k_i_n**g**_**U**_**p**-

"Hey! Hey Riku! Looky! Look at me! Look what I can do!"

The silverette turned lazily to his younger friend.

He had used his knees to dangle himself upside-down from the soft bark of the beloved crooked Paopu tree: A dangerous, marvelous feat for any ordinary nine year old. A simple task for a certain presumptuous ten year old.

The sun was high in the clear cobalt sky, baking the golden sand, and combining with the vast salty waves to make a humid, almost sweltering air. That wasn't a problem to the island children playing quite vigorously on the beach; a nearby oasis offered a private, cool pool with waterfall to any child who needed it.

Smugly, the older boy casually remarked,

"Oh, that? Easy as pie. You should see some of the stuff _I _can do. It's super secret though, so I can't tell you the _amazing_ secrets that Cloud-...Oh well."

The younger boy unhooked his legs, climbing up to straddle the tree, crystalline eyes wide in awe, tanned hands clutching the fabric of bright red shorts.

"Really? Oh my gosh, Riku, you have to tell me!"

Smirking, the silver-headed boy said,

"Okay...only if you-"

They were interrupted by the hurried approach of a blonde boy. Frantically, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted,

"_Sora! Riku!_ You gotta' help me!"

Both boys stared at the older blonde with anticipation and loyalty in their eyes. Riku called back in a similar fashion of cupping his hands,

"What's wrong Cloud?"

"There's a _girl_ in our clubhouse!"

They gasped in unison. That had been the sole, golden rule of their club:

**No. Girls. Allowed!**

The brunette growled, and grabbed Riku's arm,

"C'mon Riku! We gotta' get her out before she spreads the cooties! And, and, she's gonna' give 'um to us!"

Shivering, Riku nodded. Girl cooties were not something to be careless with. They fled from the Paopu tree, racing across the wooden bridge, running a little further before meeting with Cloud at the wooden ladder.

Climbing, they heard the angry shouts of the co-leader of the group.

"Get out! You're not allowed to be here!"

Smiling, Riku pulled himself onto a platform-like planks that led to the heavily guarded (by a cloth curtain) entrance of the extended a hand to both Cloud and Sora to help them scramble up the ladder, and opened the curtain so the interior of the play-house was visible to the three boys.

A boy with very short, bright crimson hair that spiked in different directions was glaring at the horrid intruder.

The girl had short inky hair, a change for Riku. The distinguishing signs of a girl was always _long_ hair.

Aside from the short hair, she had large cerulean eyes, much like Sora. She wasn't wearing a dress either, not like a girl should; she adorned herself in black jean-shorts that went an inch above her knees, along with a plain, dark t-shirt.

Was this really a girl?

He wasn't entirely sure, until she opened her mouth,

"Why not? I live on the islands just like you!"

Rolling his eyes, Axel said,

"Because you're an icky girl!_ A girl_! Girls aren't allowed in our club. That's one of our rules! Why don't you play with the _other_ girls?"

Rolling her eyes, she came back with a-

"Because they're too girly for me! They want tea-parties, I want adventure."

Pouting, she rested her right hand on her hip, and pointed with her left to the doorway,

"But what about the brown-haired girl? Or the silver-haired girl? _They're_ coming into your clubhouse, but you aren't yelling at them."

Sora blushed deeply, while Riku glared, retorting with a loud yell of,

"I'm not a gross girl!"

Arching an eyebrow, she looked unamused,

"And the brown-haired girl?"

Cloud growled, while Sora whispered softly, 'I'm not a girl either.' The blonde balled up his fist, shaking it at her,

"He's not a girl either! Besides, even if you weren't a rule-breaking girl, in our club, you have to be ten or older to join! How old are you?"

Smirking, she raised her arms, holding up all ten fingers for emphasis,

"I'm _eleven_."

With wide-eyes, the boys gave each other knowing looks. Cloud himself had _just_ turned eleven. The girl saw this look on their faces, and went on, hitting them where it hurt most,

"And anyway, what about th' brown-haired_ girl_? _She_ doesn't look ten. _She_ looks around eight t' me."

She emphasized the destruction of Sora's gender, at the same time dwindling him to the status of an eight year old. Talk about killing two birds with one stone. The brunette boy kept his eyes to the ground, his blush increasing with every second, the little whispers of, 'I'm going to be ten soon too,' going unheard.

Riku gave her the meanest glare he could muster; no one insulted his best friend like that.

"Shut up! Sora's a boy, not a dumb girl! He's nine years old, and he's gonna' be ten in a few weeks! So shut up!"

Cloud was next, growling a-

"He's my little brother anyway, he's allowed!"

Her smirk combined with a glare, making her the deadliest creature in the room. She raised two pale bony fists,

"Wanna' fight me?"

Riku's chest puffed up in pride, before deflating slightly.

"I'm not allowed to hit a girl."

Axel quickly backed him up,

"But if he was allowed, he would kick your butt so hard-!"

"Then how about we race? Around the island."

Grinning, the silver-hair boy nodded, while Axel snickered. He was one of the fastest runners on the islands, and the boys knew it.

"Fine. But if I win, you have to go away, and don't come back. You have to go play with the other girls and their tea-parties."

The raven-girl sneered,

"And if _I_ win, I get to take the brown-haired girl with me, and I'll play adventures with _her_, because you guys aren't nice. But me and her are gonna' have a _bunch_ of fun, and even go into a cool cave I found."

Sora perked up at the sound of this 'cool cave.' He thought he was the only one who knew of its existence until now. Axel threw a questioning look to Cloud, before looking at Sora.

What on earth was she babbling about? A cave? And why did she want _Sora_? Riku hesitated,

"U-um-"

"What's wrong? You aren't scared of losin' to a' _girl_, are you?"

Snarling, Sora had to hold his older brother's arms back from hitting the girl. The blonde said,

"You're on!"

Which was why the girl was looking deviously at Sora, who Riku refused to let go of.

"Come on, I won him fair and square. Now cough him up, _I_ get to play adventures with him for today, and tomorrow, and-"

"We never said anything about tomorrow!"

Shrugging she remarked,

"We never said anything about me _not_ having him tomorrow either."

The boys looked among one another. If Sora was taken by this...this..._girl_, he might get her cooties, and become contagious, and not be able to be apart of the group any more. Not going to take that chance, Axel jumped at her, fists raised, growls in his throat.

Which was _how_ Axel got the bloody nose.

While the girl was explaining to his mother why she felt it was absolutely nessesary to proceed holding Axel down and punching him in the nose.

"And you see, I really don't like hurting people! But I- I, I just didn't know what to do! I'm really sorry for hurting him!"

Smiling, the older woman patted Axel on the back with one hand, and tousled the little girl's hair,

"Don't you worry about it Kiddo. He's going to be alright. And I think he's going to learn not to try to hit girls."

Laughing, she grinned. A little girl with long, crimson hair similar to Axel and his mother's opened the screen door to appear on the porch. She scanned the usual boys, stopping at the black-haired girl.

A new girl. Grinning, she asked,

"You're a girl? What's your name? Wanna' play with me and Selphie?"

The raven-girl smiled,

"X-i-o-n. Shee-on. Xion. Sorry though, I don't wanna' play with you. I'm playin' with the guys right now."

Riku's jaw dropped. He stood, glaring at the evil female.

"We _are not_ playing with you! Axel's mom, why are you making friends with_ her,_ instead of making her go away? She's a girl!"

This forced another cackle from the redheaded mother,

"Riku honey, it's okay. I used to be a girl at one time."

Xion cocked her head to the side,

"Aren't you a girl now?"

Axel's mother held a finger to her lips, whispering,

"The guys don't quite understand that yet."

The two laughed, much to the boys displeasure, until being interrupted by a loud yell from Cloud, who pointed to the sky.

"_Look_!"

In the late-afternoon sky, it looked as if tiny, sparkling stars were forming before their eyes. Xion and Sora '_ahhh_'d at the sight, while Riku and Axel, still holding a paper-towel to his nose, stared silently.  
The stars were gradually increasing in size, going from small specks to large dots, large dots in the sky to-

"They're falling. The stars are...falling."

Kairi's observation was strikingly correct. The small sparkles appeared to be falling, quickly at that. The older redheaded woman nodded,

"It looks like a meteor shower...how strange, we've never had one on the islands before. I've never seen one in person... You guys are really going to enjoy this."

They stared in awe at the sparkles come closer, until realization hit them.

"Oh my gosh. Sora's..."

Riku's eyes widened,

"Still on the island! He has to see this! Oh my gosh, we have to get him!"

Xion shook her head,

"He'll be able to see it on the island, won't he?"

Shaking his head, Axel stood from the porch, slightly muffled from the blood-spotted paper towel,

"He'sth kinda' sslow, and w'll probably missth it."

Cloud, still staring at the sky, noticed something strange no one else seemed to care about.

"Guys...?"

"Axel, I'll get 'im. You stay here, okay?"

"Guys."

"Nuh- uh. I'm one of the leaders in this group, I'll get him. Besides, I can't stand being near so many girls."

"Guys!"

The boys turned and responded simultaneously,

"_What_?"

Shaking his head, Cloud pointed to the sky,

"They aren't stars. They aren't meteors either though! Look!"

Everyone on the porch heeded the boys advice. The "stars" had become larger, were falling faster. One could begin to see the faint out line of these unknown objects.

They were _not_ stars.

Axel, (one who had secretly always needed glasses, but refused to wear them) squinted at the incoming objects. The dots turned from falling stars to tiny gray blobs.

"They look like..."

Cloud, on the other hand, who _could_ see with a perfect 20/20 vision, gaped in wonder. They looked something like the robots from the Saturday morning cartoons. Robots that were always the friends. Grinning, he turned his head to Kairi and Xion, who eyed the objects with suspicion and fear.

"It's robots! You know, the ones from the cartoons! Oh my gosh! We're going to meet robots."

Axel's mother eyeballed the blonde with a look, but said nothing on his oddness, instead changing the subject,

"They're getting closer...really close. It almost looks as if-"

"I have to get Sora."

Axel and his mother looked away from the impending objects, both thinking along the same lines,

"No way, Jose."

"Riku, you might get hit. I'm sure Sora's on his way t- you see? There he is."

She pointed, and Riku followed the direction. The brunette boy was walking up the long, dirt path that led to the island home. He too was gazing in awe at the falling stars. Smiling, Riku cupped his hands around his mouth,

"Sora! Hurry up!"

Snapping out of his daze, he looked up in surprise, which promptly turned into one of his goofy grins. He began to run, as fast as no-heel sandles allowed him. Suddenly, the earth beneath their feet shook. The tremors were great, causing both the silver-haired boy and the brunette to fall.

Gripping and rubbing a spot where his head smacked against something hard (what he guessed to be a rock), Riku attempted to get to his feet. He remained at a crouch, the vibrations shook so. Blinking away black dots and blurriness in his vision, he looked for his friend. Around twenty feet away, he could faintly see bright red...shorts.

It took his mind a moment to process the image of his friend, face down in the dirt, still. A high pitched buzzing, beeping noise shattered the air, forcing him to cry out in pain, attempt to shield his ears with his hands.

Wind began to blow at speeds only known to severe hurricanes. Dirt and dust whipped around, striking and stinging his eyes.

He turned around, seeing a redheaded and raven girl run through a doorway at the front of the house, a blonde boy supervising their safety.. A crimson haired boy was sprinting towards him, stumbling a few times, an equally pained expression on his face. A redheaded woman ran past him, heading for the other boy. The boy approached him, lips moving and eyebrows creased in a concentrated glare. Riku didn't understand a word.

Axel rolled his eyes, grabbing Riku's arm and yanking him up.

_BOOM!_

A loud explosion made them stumble to the ground once more. Fire and heat and smoke erupted around them, making the once peaceful path into a fiery inferno.

After a moment of staring at the shades of red, orange, and yellow, he could feel something at his back. It was similar to a mix of the worst sunburn he had ever had (considering he lived on Destiny Islands, that was saying something) and when he accidentally touched an iron to see if it was on (and sadly finding it was.)

The pain shot up his spine like a bullet.

A scream erupted from the depths of his lungs.

In his spotted vision, he could see the panicked face of Axel, shaking him. Behind Axel, there were enormous, round machines. They looked a bit like the tops of hot air balloons, except instead of colorful cloth, there was bleak metal.

The happy robots that Cloud had spoken about.

Except for a minor detail.

Attached to both left and right side were enormous, bulky canons. Or so, it looked like canons, the nose of a very deadly gun.

The scorching feeling intensified by tens of tens, making him scream all the more louder.

Chaos took place all around him.

It was too much for one ten-year-old mind to handle.

And within moments-

Everything went black.


	2. Wake Up

He woke up.

Or at least, it felt as if he was waking up. The same grogginess and daze of waking up in the wee hours of the morning for school.

With newly added pain and estrangement.

His eyes felt dry, and sore, even after blinking repeatedly (with, as he realized, equally dry lids). Within seconds of 'waking up,' realization of two things struck him hard.

He was trapped. Inside a sort of thick, glass casing; colored maroon and dark navy, it barely allowed him 3 inches of room on all sides.

He couldn't breathe.

The panic of the latter slapped him the worst, forcing his eyelids to squeeze together in the discomfort of burning lungs and dry air.

A few seconds of airless, futile struggling against the glass later, he had calmed down enough to formulate a plan.

Bending his knees, similar to a car jack would, he attempted to lift the ceiling of his prison with pure force. The ceiling budged slightly, but did not move further.

Squeezing his eyes shut in pain that he felt in his lungs, his dormant muscles clenching tightly, he shifted and jolted from side to side, trying, praying, with all his might that _something_ would happen.

And _something_ did.

Amidst the struggling, there was a sudden falling feeling, before a shattering noise and shocking pain shot through his spine.

The barrier around him had shattered into pieces, leaving enormous, thick glass shards all around him. Sitting up a moment, he realized how painful and sore and..._new_ everything felt.

Back to the floor.

Spinning, his head cried of it's recent abuse by throbbing proudly.

What on _earth_ had happened?

The last of his memories was of a girl. An icky girl, who had invaded the clubhouse and refused to leave. She wouldn't. So that boy...he raced her...and...and...

Nothing.

His mind was wiped blank, much like a sheet bleached a pure white.

Shaking his head in bewilderment, he raised a hand to rub his abused scalp. Which was really the first time seeing his hand.

It looked...bigger. The fingers long and bony, pale, pale skin. He didn't believe them to be _his_ hands at first.

Then there was his hair.

The last time he had been conscious, it was cut above his shoulders, ending around the lobe of his ear. Now the curly, silver strands were at his belly button.

The clothes he wore were little more than sewn rags, ending in shorts that went mid-thigh and a scrap of clothing that covered a majority of his navel.

He ran his hands over his torso.

The hard, jagged outline of rib bones jutted from tightly pulled, almost a snowy white, skin. His gut—he_ didn't_ have a gut.

His legs were no better- being mere twigs with shriveled-up, deflated balloon-gloves; the kind one would find at the doctor's office

Crinkling his brow in confusion, he looked around the freezing room.

It looked like the inside of an ancient shrine. Bare wooden floors smothered in dust and-...something else. After a closer look, he guessed them to be some sort of thin paper.

Shaking his head (and the bewilderment of paper being strewn across the room) he began to peer around.

The ceiling was pieced together from long planks of oak and thatch; the walls looked to be made of the same wooded material.

_Jesus_, it was cold.

He had began to examine the thick shards surrounding him, trying to sort the thoughts that slipped just as soon as they came, when the door opened.

A young man, around the age of late seventeen, stepped through the door. He wore a black, sleeveless, collarless shirt that allowed very toned muscles to become very obvious. Baggy, black cargo pants, completed with thick, black biker boots, and two large straps criss-crossing about his chest to his back. The handle of a sword was visible over his shoulder.

A dark crimson rose was clutched tightly in one hand, looking a little pitiful.

A small machine was in his ear. Spikes of a chocolatey color rose in several directions, bringing back a few fond memories. A gas-mask was secured across his face, covering his mouth, nose, and eyes, but still allowing Riku to see the bright cerulean in the eyes.  
They looked...troubled, distant, cold, and sad.

He looked so familiar.

But so much older than the boy he knew.

"Sora?" He breathed, allowing his head to cock to the side in disarray.

The eyes snapped back, looking alive, at the whisper of the name.

The flower dropped to the ground.

Widening in utter shock at the silver haired boy before, he stumbled a few feet back. A seconds passed, before a rage spread across his features, a look of hatred.

The sword was in his hands, and pointed at Riku's throat within moments.

He growled, eyes narrowed dangerously, the mask making it sound mechanical,

"We told you this place was forbidden! Before I make sure you never come back, go. You aren't going to take anyone else away. Not again." The tip of the sword brushed against the pale skin, a shout, "_Go_!"

The silver haired boy, sore and confused, shook his head,

"You look...just like him. But you can't be... Sora..."

The enraged eyes flickered for a moment, dreaded sorrow. It was only a moment.

The tip of the blade pushed into the flesh a millimeter.

"How do you know that name?" Riku blinked,

"Because I grew up with you."

The rage left for a moment, revealing a heart-crushed face with an angry mask.

"Why are you doing this to me? _Why_? First y-you…and now..." He swallowed thickly, "Now you mock my pain."

Hissing under his breath, the brunette moved the sword away from Riku's throat, looking away from Riku. His chest began to quiver.

"_--Agent Sky. Report. You were supposed to check in."_

The voice echoed in the silent room from the small machine in his ear.

The brunette didn't do anything.

"_Sky."_

Reaching for the machine, he pressed it against his ear,

"_We will send out an operative, Sky. Respond."_

"What?" He choked.

"_Where are you? You were supposed to report in a few minutes ago. It's getting dark. You have to come back."_

"Whatever." He replied bitterly, clicking it, and effectively cutting off a '_What_??' The brunette looked over Riku once more, saying,

"Ordinarily, I would disintegrate scum like you. But you've messed with the wrong guy; this is the wrong body. You're coming with me."

Nodding, (at the bittersweet mix of escaping this freezing room, and having a familiar stranger hate you at first glance) Riku attempted to get up, only to drop to the floor. His legs were too weak.

His nose twitching, Agent Sky walked across the room, reluctantly (and cautiously) picking the silverette up by the arm.

His feet barely brushing across the wood floors as the brunette dragged him across the room, opening the door and leading him into the new world of green.

Where he promptly passed out.

When he awoke, they were moving.

A dry, desert-like prairie was passing them by at wicked speeds. The sky was a dark gray, angry clouds welling up as if provoked by the horrid landscape beneath it.

The two were on a bike- one Riku had only heard about from his father from his days in the war. Lodged between the handlebars and the brunette, who seemed to be lost in his thoughts, Riku felt very awkward. And alone.

He watched the wastelands zip away. There were few things to interrupt the sole, gray sand. Any that did were merely black blobs, which disappeared just as quickly as the rest.

This went on for what felt like hours. Riku felt himself silently thanking whomever was up there when the bike approached an incoming building.

Upon reaching it, aquamarine eyes widened.

It was enormous.

The fortress looked like the castles his mother had read to him when he was younger- the ones of princesses and gallant knights.

Well, if you didn't account the looming darkness that seemed to surround it. Instead of cheery bricks, it was, like most of the new land, a darker shade of gray.

Agent Sky dismounted the bike with practiced ease, grabbing Riku's arm once more to drag him the entrance of the fort.

Thick charcoal doors, detailed _exactly_ like the fairy tales, met them.

There was an arch around the doors, reaching out about two feet, serving, as Riku guessed, protection from any rain (as unlikely it was that this desert death trap received _any_ precipitation in any given year).

Decorative frame along the door, shaped like vines, (as well as the deep indent of a small circle,) gave the castle a Gothic touch.

"_Bout time you got here. You're late, you know._"

Riku jumped at the voice, peering around the area suspiciously for the figure-less voice. The brunette rolled his eyes.

"Let me in."

"_Who is...that? You didn't bring a stray home, did you?"_ Riku blinked; how did this mysterious voice know he was here? Sky growled again, a harsher, more authoritative tone in his voice.

"Let me _in_." The unknown voice seemed to sigh,

"_Show me the eyes and heart."_ Without batting an eye, the brunette lifted the flimsy cloth that shielded his chest over his head.

Scars.

Some faint, others new, scars etched themselves across his stomach and chest.

Muscles.

The shirt wasn't lying. He was very muscular, a set of washboard abs and very defined curves of his ribs.

What really caught the eye, however, was a circle.

Protruding about an inch from his tanned skin, at the top left corner of his chest it had flat sides that rounded upwards; a stubby cylinder with half of a sphere at the top.

It matched the size of the outline in the door's frame.

There was something alluring about it as well.

It was, for the most part, a brilliant white. But one could see, after examining it (as Riku had been doing) there was a light tint of blue. A cerulean that matched Agent Sky's eyes.

What he did next was strange.

He approached the door frame, and pressed the circle in his chest into the indent in the door. Agent Sky remained there for a few seconds, until the voice said,

"_Eyes, Agent Sky, eyes."_

Rolling said orbs, he turned his head upwards, staring, without blinking, into the ceiling of the arch. Riku looked up along with him.

_Whoa._

There was intensely complicated, advance white equipment.

Amazing how silent it was.

A few moments of awe passed, before the bored voice spoke yet again,

"_Alrighty then...What should I do about your stray?"_

Riku frowned.

Why was he being treated like a dog?

Sora glared at the ceiling,

"Get Agents Fair and Z. He's not a stray. We need to have a look at him."

The voice was silent for a bit.

"_Okay. You may proceed now."_

Sora pulled Riku under the arch, and pulled on the handle of the door; it didn't open.

Before Riku could ponder the strangeness, there was a burst of wind, making the rags on his body float and pull them upwards.

A sudden wave of dizziness overcame Riku.

And he collapsed in Agent Sky's arms yet again.

"What do you mean?"

"He's... Not normal, to say the least, but he's-"

"That's not possible! It's-It's impossible for anyone to come back. It's just...just..."

The silverette opened his eyes to a very bright room, and voices, mere meters away.

"Look. I've ran every test I could think of-"

Everything was white. He was laying down on what felt like soft cotton sheets. His stomach didn't feel as horrid as it had earlier, and the dizziness had been sedated. Riku could feel a sensation pulsing up his right arm; although he didn't need to look down to see it was an IV.

Using what little strength he had gained (in the time of unconsciousness), he strained the cells within his neck and shoulders to lift his head from the soft, clean pillow beneath him.

The figures were at the far side of the small room; there were three of them.

Of course, there was the young man known as 'Agent Sky,' the only difference in him being there was no gas mask covering half of his face.

God, he was so much like..._him_.

The other two were new faces- with very strange hair.

One had light blue, periwinkle, hair that was moderately short. He shrouded himself in an inky coat that ran to his ankles. The rest of him wasn't facing towards him, but, judging from the height and tone of voice, he sounded around eighteen at most.

The other, while having an average color of blonde, had it spiked into a mullet (a style that hadn't seen the light of day for decades). He wore a similar charcoal coat, although there was a distinguished difference in the details (such as sleeves, and cleanliness). He looked to be, from behind, twenty or so.

The blue haired man shook his head,

"-and he's not a heartless, nor a nobody. His eyes are normal; he has a heart. A very bright heart."

"B-but he was breathing in the air, and there was no effect on him whatsoever." Nodding, the blonde said,

"Yeah, we thought that was pretty strange. So we took a look at his insides. And he's pretty messed up." The shorter cloaked man sighed, an 'eye-rolling' tone in his voice,

"What Demyx means to say, is that this young man's lungs, down to the very cellular levels, are very, _very_ different from you and I."

The brunette arched an eyebrow suspiciously,

"How different?"

"Somethin' like a plant's and a human's combined and jumbled."

"Yes, hence why he could breathe outside and how he sti-...Well speak of the devil..."

The shorter, blue haired man had finally taken notice of Riku's awakening.

The brunette stared, mindlessly almost, at the silver haired teen, a blank, sorrowful expression implanted in wide cerulean eyes.

The blue haired man's face was youthful, and pale, while his eyes were aged, as if they had seen too, too many things in the years of life he had lived thus far.

The shortest scientist approached Riku, asking,

"How are you feeling?" He was speaking slowly, as if Riku had been identified as mentally handicapped, and deaf. "Can you nod for me?"

Blinking, the silver haired boy looked clueless. The scientist arched an eyebrow,

"Can you understand me?" Riku gave him a hesistant nod. The blue haired man smiled softly, and nodded.

"At least we know he speaks english. That's fortunate; I've never quite liked Spanish." The blond offered the shorter a snort. The silver haired boy took a deep breath, managing a very hoarse, weak whisper.

"What happened to my home?" Although the scientist seemed impressed with the speech, Riku wasn't finished, "Where's Sora? Or Axel? Or Cloud?"

As soon as the names passed his lips, the three men who stood stiffened.

The blue haired man turned, moving his dark blue-slate gaze to the brunette, whose eyes had widened.

"Sky...Enlighten him. Where _did_ this...'Sora' person go?"

The question's tone was a mix of sarcasm, genuine curiosity, and amazement.

But a millisecond later, the same blue eyes were rolling to the back of the brunette's skull. Muscular legs quivered a bit, and gave in, leaving the body crumbling to the floor.

* * *

**A/N:  
o.o So...there you go. Do you like it?**


	3. I'm Real

**Keep forgetting the disclaimer...for everything...**

**Note: I do not own any of the characters; the mere idea this story is about, however, I own.**

**-W**_a_k_i_n**g**_**U**_**p**-

Eventually (within two hours, according to Zexion), Sora woke up.

In a clean white bed, parallel to R iku's.

The white room was empty, aside from the two of them.

Riku, upon seeing him awake, smiled. He had built up enough strength to have the ability to move himself. He did so, to the point where he was laying on his right side, facing S ora

"I knew it. I knew it was you. I knew you were Sora."

The cerulean eyes w ere cold, this time having glistening liquid with them.

"It's Agent Sky..." He mumbled, although he was sure Riku hadn't heard him.

"The hair was a major hint...but I think it was your eyes that made me sure. You're Sora."

Sora stiffened up, taking deep controlled breaths. His eyes glazed over coldly.

"You can't be here...You aren't real. And my name is Agent Sky."

Riku blinked.

Gone?

"No. No , you're Sora, and I'm here . Look at me."

Sora clenched his fists, but didn't move from his stony position.

"Agent Sky."

Riku creased his eyebrows, feeling his chest quake for a moment.

"No Sora. I'm right here. I'm not dead, look. You and I know damn well you're I'm alive...Just...Please. Look."

Riku felt his heart thump hard against his chest as Sora shook his head slightly.

How did this happen?

He had fallen to dark; that world where Sora, and Axel, and Cloud were his bestest friends a kid could ask for -

Where life on the islands was bliss.

Where the sun shined, and could warm the coldest bits of himself.

They were gone.

The islands, Axel, Cloud, the sun, they were all gone.

Swallowing thickly, Riku took a deep breath, and stretched his arm towards the teen. He reached as far as he could, only a foot away from the bed.

"Sora."

Sora remained as still as the dead.

Gritting his teeth, R iku waved his hand, feeling jolts of pain leap up his veins ; there was pain and frustration.

"I'm right here!"

Sora gave in. The cool exterior began to thaw, facial muscles relaxing and the tense muscles in his neck. For once he actually looked Riku in the eye.

They were not the same dark indigo Riku had first seen; they weren't strong. They weren't fierce. They were lonely and hardened from childhood.

Shaking Sora's arm again, Riku glared with determination.

"I'm not gonna' leave you again. Can you see me?"

Sora closed his eyes tightly, allowing a shallow breath, but he remaining silent.

For a second, Riku almost thought it was useless.

Until the hand brushed over his own.

It was hesitant at first, but after a moment, the fingers enclosed around his own, and squeezed, similar to a heartbeat.

They locked eyes again. Sora , through his mysterious well-trained ways looked bewildered, amazed even, that his hand didn't fall through the air.

Riku was real.

* * *

"You know," the scientist said, peering through the one-sided window, "Agent Sky hasn't cried. Not since..well, _that_ he hasn't."

The blonde nodded, scribbling on the clipboard, remarking dully,

"Yeah. That's what they train you though. They train you that what's gone is gone, and isn't coming back. They train you to move forward and show no emotion - like rocks"

Stepping away from the glass, Zexion moved his gaze around the room, before resting it on his fellow scientist.

"U h huh...like rocks. And this goes against everything he's been trained with, doesn't it?"

Demyx nodded, finishing the last sentence of the report, and met the blue haired man's gaze.

"Yup. This could really mess up his head , you know? With all that time, they beat it into his head that nothing could bring them back, and then this comes along."

"Indeed. We will have to keep an eye on his mental stability for the next few days."

Demyx quickly found something else of interest, and began to fiddle with a key board when he asked,

"And if something _does_ go wrong with his mind?"

The inevitable grim thought was horrible to think about, but not unlikely.

"Well, we would just have to fix him, wouldn't we? With that special little surgery Zack's cooked up." His gaze went cold. "Of course, we know the survival rates for something like that are-"

"Three percent, at most."

Zexion turned back to the glass, where Sora was staring at Riku with curious eyes.

"The question isn't whether we would do it. We both know we would , we'd have to at least. But would we really be able to afford losing him?"


	4. Progression

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters; however, the idea of this story is mine. :D It feels cool saying I own something...**

**------W**_a_k_i_n**g _U_p**------

"I see he's getting stronger. That's good. Very good indeed."

The blue haired man said casually, not looking up from the clipboard as he spoke to the two young men.

Riku had been trapped in the white room for, from what he could tell from the long periods of sleep he went through, about two weeks.

Every time he awoke, Sora was in the chair beside his bed, usually exhausted or sleeping.

Each day, he attempted to do something active, something normal, against the small scientist's wishes to rest and be thankful he was alive.

Today, with Sora supporting him with one hand, he had enough strength to sit up all the way.

The brunette's eyes were bright blue, and almost sparkled.

"Yeah. Do you think he'll be able to walk soon?"

Riku had been rapidly growing bigger (growing pains had never hurt so much); each day, it was a goal to gain at least a pound.

At the rate he had been going, being a healthy weight was only a few more weeks away. But he was much too impatient for that.

During the times he had been awake, Sora and the scientists hadn't told him anything about what was going on in the world, what had happened to the islands- _anything_.

Chuckling, the bluenette humored Sora's obvious question,

"Well, when he gets the strength to sit up on his own, then we'll talk. You must remember Sora, he was seconds from death when we found him."

Rolling his eyes, the brunette grumbled under his breath.

The small scientist had been using that excuse for days when he didn't feel like explaining something to them.

Riku smirked, ruffling Sora's hair and increasing the pout.

"I'll be up when I'm supposed to be up, and there's no changing that I suppose."

The brunette grinned.

Experiments involving mind-manipulation and video-processing had been used upon Riku, to help his ten year old mind evolve to the rightful mind-age he was supposed to be.

About now, he was in the mind-set of around fifteen, which meant he was putting forth more thought processing, and could carry out at least a semi-intelligent conversation.

The smile fell flat when the dreaded ear-piece buzzed in his ear.

"Sky."

"_We need a little help with one of the local tribes."_ Frowning, Sora creased his eyebrows in concern.

"Which one?"

"_The Vongola tribe is at it again."_ Rubbing the bridge of his nose, and groaning in displeasure, Sora placed a hand on silver locks.

"I have to go. I'll be back soon, alright?"

The silver haired boy nodded, a little disappointed the brunette had to leave so soon. Smiling, the brunette ruffled the silver, reversing the roles, saying softly,

"See ya."

"Sora, look!"

Riku was about seventeen now; looking much better than he had weeks before.

His hair was thinner. Brushed out and trimmed, it only extended to his shoulders. And while his skin still the fair white, he had a little color in his cheeks. His bones, were no longer visible from stretched skin.

The brunette glanced in the direction of his friend, pleasantly surprised to find the silverette standing, all by his wobbly self.

He clapped his hands, grinning like the proud parent of a bench-warmer-child who had just scored their first goal.

"Great job Riku! I'm gonna' tell Zex."

The brunette ran off, disappearing through the doorway. Riku looked around the dull room, trying not to think of how close he was to falling over.

The smaller scientist arrived, being dragged by the arm by the very excited Agent Sky. Sora pointed towards Riku,

"See? See? Look, look!"

Rolling his eyes, Zexion retorted,

"I have 20/20 vision, thank you, Sora."

The brunette drooped his head in apology, much like a puppy. Zexion scanned Riku's figure up and down, almost to the point where the silver haired teen became self-conscious. He smirked a little.

"Sora, would you like to show Riku's existence to the others? I think by now it's safe to say he's going to live long enough until training begins, yes? I'll bring out a wheel chair."

With that, the scientist vanished.

Excitement and wonder filled Riku's mind.

Finally, after being asleep for years and trapped in this room for months, he was going to see a sliver of the new world. An involuntary grin made it's way on his face.

Sora shared the notion.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe how far you've made it." The brunette's grin died into a playful smirk. "You know...Zexion and Demyx didn't think you'd live past that first week. But_ I_ knew you would."

"Is that right Sky? As I recall, you were, at first, hoping that the 'imposter' would die...painfully, at that."

The brunette's face went up in a blush while Riku's brow raised. Flustered, he attempted to defend himself as Zexion assisted Riku into the chair.

"Yeah but...that was before...and...well after I found out he was real I didn't! I mean, I did. I mean, I believed he would!"

The silver haired teen laughed, snorting a-

"Don't bust a vessel Sor."

Agent Sky, blushing madly, looked to the floor for comfort, a pout set upon his face. Zexion rolled his eyes,

"Alright, you're good to go." The scientist stepped back, gave a final approving glance, and went through the mysterious door frame.

Silence.

Sora, the blush now gone, stood behind the wheel chair.

"Riku...I know this is kinda late, but I'm curious. Do you know how long you've been gone?"

The silverette threw a clueless, sarcastic to him.

"No Sora, I've just been buried for quite a time, of course I've kept a calender."

Sora (ignoring Riku's sarcasm) fidgeted, disturbed by something he wasn't going to tell Riku.

"I...wenyun..."

"What? Speak up."

"I...I'm almost twenty one, Riku. You've been gone for...eleven years, almost twelve."

Riku nodded. He had been expecting something like that.

"I'm telling you this just in case no one remembers you, okay?" Sora took his time in carefully choosing which words to use next, as to not offend his friend. "So don't...don't feel bad if no one recognizes you- or, or knows you, alright?"

Riku was impatient now. He wanted to meet people, he wanted to see what this immense castle had to offer. He wanted to live for a few seconds, dammit!

The silverette nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just hurry up! I'm dyin' here!" He snapped, pausing for a moment to realize what he said, "Er, figuratively speaking, that is."

Nibbling his lip for a second, Sora shook his head and smiled.

"Alright, alright. Mr. grumpy-pants. _Yeesh_, you're so impatient. Just like when we were kids."


	5. A Lovely Way to Meet Someone

**Clearly, I own none of the characters. I own this though: *Holds up picture of a poorly colored in blob***

**-----W**_a_k_i_n**g _U_p**------

Sora wheeled Riku in through the first doorway--the place Sora, Zexion, and the other blonde scientist (whom Riku barely ever saw) vanished into so frequently.

"Here we have the lab; this is the place where Zexion keeps watch over the patients, and where he will be spending the rest of his life..."

Considering it was a lab, the lights were dimmed to a dark blue, giving it a basement feel rather than a laboratory. Several large desks scattered across the room, various plants, papers, and computer screens placed upon them. The small scientist was hunched over a microscope, sarcastically snapping back,

"Har-de-har-har. Very funny Sora, now go away, before I give you the tail of a cat." The brunette grinned mischievously.

"What a nice change of pace that would be; is that a promise?" Zexion sighed,

"I'm working on it."

Smirking, Sora began to move once more, stopping when Riku asked,

"Where's that blonde guy?"

"Oh, Demyx? He never stays in one place for too long...or rather, he never stays in a place where he's expected to _work_ for too long." There was a soft chuckle across the room.

Shrugging, Sora moved along, calling loudly when they reached a blackened door frame,

"See ya' Zex!"

"Good bye, Sora."

The dark door brightened to an electric blue, and shot into the ceiling. The silver haired boy held back an awed gasp.

This place was so cool. It was a lot like the mother-ship from a popular show he used to watch- SpaceTrek.

He really had missed a lot, hadn't he?

"This is the "refectory." Regardless of the cool name Zack gave it, it's just the mess hall." Riku tore away from his thoughts to be greeted by a spacious room.

Large school-cafeteria tables, complete with benches, lined up in rows filled the room, leaving isles three feet long to maneuver one's self around the room.

There was no presence of anyone.

The brunette saw Riku's curious gaze, answering the silent question,

"No one comes in here unless it's meal time."

"Why not?" Shrugging, Sora said,

"I suppose it's 'cause when we get free time, which is really rare, we usually go to a more...entertaining parts of the castle...C'mon, I think I know where Axel is." 

The silver haired boy grinned,

"Axel's here? Really? What do you think he's gonna' say?" Shrugging, the brunette began to push the wheelchair once more.

"No idea. I just hope he doesn't punch you in the face."

"Sure sounds like him."

So the boy pushed the chair along glowing white, curving hallways and past various rooms, some loud, while others empty.

Sora explained that, as dim-witted and lazy as Demyx seemed, he was one of the main designers of the technology of the castle, along with others whose names flew in one ear and out the other.

He didn't worry about it though, Sora promised Riku would meet them a little later.

Just as Riku was questioning how the brunette remembered his way around the enormous castle (Sora had shrugged, saying he had to learn over the years), the two had stumbled upon an end to one of the shorter hallways.

With the door wide open, this room was practically buzzing with activity.

It's size wasn't anything out of the ordinary for a living room, and although it's décor of dark green carpet, lavender walls, and beat-up plaid couches was rather atrocious, that wasn't what caught the aqua eye.

What really caught both Riku and Sora's attention were the two figures, about seven feet away, two blurry blobs of red and gold, passionately pressing one another against the back of said ugly couches in a jumbled mix of tongue against tongue, hips against hips action.

Riku paled, whispering a,

"Oh my god..."

Sora had a similar reaction, which quickly died into eye rolling and blushing. He cleared his throat loudly, hoping the two would catch the hint.

The redhead managed to pin the other to the wood frame of the couch, and, when the kiss was quieting down in ferocity, he flipped the bird towards Sora.

The brunette's face fell, whilst Riku attempted to repress giggles. Sora began to make the classic 'eww' hand-flailing, whining loudly,

"Guuyys! Seriously, can you stop sucking face for, like, five minutes?"

There was a smoky chuckle from the redhead, who disconnected his lips from the now panting other. Not bothering to give Sora a glance, he reattached his lips to the other's neck, a loud moan sounding off in return.

Just then, the redhead moved his crimson mane downwards, allowing Riku to catch a glimpse of the other's familiar flaxen spikes.

Eyes wide, he realized who these people were.

"Axel? ...Cloud?"

At the name, there was instantaneous reaction.

The redhead turned, and the blonde was fully visible.

'_It isn't Cloud._'

He came to that conclusion a little too late.

The blonde looked just as old as Sora with a youthful face, but aged cerulean eyes. The flaming pink on his cheeks was dying down much more quickly than Sora's had ever. He looked to be in shock at first, before switching to glower at Riku, a look that described true pain and hate.

Before Riku could blink, bony, strong hands were encased around his throat, squeezing his windpipe while an enraged voice whispered coarsely,

"What did you say?" The hands shook him by the throat. "Don't you _ever _say that name again, got it?"

The redhead yanked the blonde attacker away from Riku, holding his arms back and whispering things (things Riku presumed would either calm him down, or get him aroused in another way) while Sora worried over Riku's throat.

"Oh god, I should've told you about Rox. I'm really sorry, Ri-"

"Riku?"

The silverette instinctively looked up at the calling of his name, locking aqua eyes with a shade of new green that seemed to see through his skin and into his very being. They were as alluring (and in a way, spell-binding) as they were frightening.

The redhead looked him over suspiciously, and, without taking his suddenly furious eyes off of the man in the wheelchair, questioned the brunette.

"Sora, what is this? ...It looks...like..."

Riku caught the 'it' segment, and tried to take it as best as he could.

"Axel, don't you recognize me?"

The redhead sharpened his glare, then glanced towards Sora.

"Sora, explain this right now, or I'll let Roxas go." The blonde looked equally eager to Axel-- either to beat the half-life out of Riku's body, or know who this new figure is.

The brunette didn't bat an eye, and stepped forward, almost directly in front of Riku.

"He's exactly who he looks like, Axel. Yes, it's him. This is Riku."

Axel's glare didn't improve, and he released the wild blonde boy. This person called Roxas closed the gap between himself and Sora.

_Clang!_

The motions were so incredibly quick, Riku hadn't seen either Sora nor Roxas withdraw enormous swords. Each man pushed against the other's sword, glaring.

"Sora, it's not your friend- Let me put this thing out of it's misery."

The brunette held his ground, growling back in retort,

"No. It's him, it's real!"

Roxas rolled his eyes, snarling,

"I don't want to hurt you, little brother..."

The silverette glowered; Cloud was Sora's _only_ brother. Who _the_ _hell_ was this brat to call Riku the imposter?

"But Sora, there's no other way to go about removing the heartless, and he _is_ a heartless; I helped bury him. You know-"

"You're the imposter, you're acting just like Cloud! You even called Sora your brother! Why do you assume it's _me_?"

Roxas' glare met Riku's eyes yet again, colder this time.

"Shut up!"

The blonde ducked, swinging his leg around in a low, circular kick. Sora's feet were swept from underneath him, and, in mid-fall, Roxas kicked him yet again. Hard in the stomach, he was flying towards Axel, who caught him and held his arms against his sides.

Sora struggled in the redhead's arms, while Roxas straightened up.

"Roxas!" The blonde ignored him. "Axel, listen to me! Zexion has run every test we could think of! I didn't think he was real either, but it's him! His eyes, Axel, his eyes. He has a heart!"

The redhead's eyes widened.

"Are you sure?"

"I saw it myself."

Axel released Sora, jumping forward to grab Roxas by the waist, and pull him to the floor (it was so rough and sudden, Roxas dropped his weapon). Axel panted,

"Don't. _Don't_, Roxas."

The blonde glared at the redhead, squirming to reach his sword.

"Why not?

"He's one of the original island survivors, like me and Sora, and yes, _him_."

Roxas stilled, averting his gaze to the floor.

"Really?"

**I was hoping to make up for the slowness with the little AkuRoku action we got in this one. :D  
Thank you everybody for showing your support by clicking the variety of the buttons below! (Except for the report story/author button. O.O That would be frowned upon.)**

**  
BYE!**


	6. Introductions are Becoming Fun

**(Pointless)A/N: - Life's been hectic recently, and I appreciate you sticking with me.  
It'd be nice if you left your thoughts! Like certain awesome people. b^^b You guys know who you are, and you rock this story to pieces.**

**Well then. Here we go.**

**Disclaimer: Disclaimed.**

* * *

After a very joyed reunion between old friends (Axel, different to Sora, didn't cry) that involved hugging, grins, and a very miffed blond, Axel informed the brunette that he had to tell the person who was the designated leader, Zackary, immediately. He was the leader of this vast, incredible place Axel called 'Hollow Bastion,' and Riku could be killed yet again if Zack didn't approve.

While the two were conversing, the silverette sat in awkwardness. Roxas refused to make eye contact with him.

Axel lowly noted to Sora that once they were done having their fun, he would be happy once more. He was, as Axel said, "always angry when he's horny."

So the two parted from the couple, not missing the rising moans return.

The walk (or ride, for Riku's case) was relatively quiet, with Sora babbling away every so often about non-relevant matters that popped into his head.

Dispite this, it was nice. Riku hadn't had a moment of mindless thought ever since he had woken up. He was either too malnourished to think, having his brain prodded and his body examined, or he was sleeping.

It felt blissful, in a way, to let loose any ridiculous thoughts, to relax and...think-

All good things must end, and this was ended by Sora's announcement of, 'weee're heeerre!!'

Holding back a childish groan of distaste, the silverette smiled (faker than a barbie) for Sora, and straightened in his chair.

Another of the incredible futuristic panel-like door was ahead of them, flashing blue and allowing them to enter.

When the aquamarine eyes casted about the room.

If he thought the entrance was good, this was _amazing_.

With a steep-slanted ceiling and a step-up 2-foot balcony towards it, the entire north wall of the room was plastered with what appeared to be windows. A light blue, they were tinted to a point where one couldn't see out of it.

A little pointless, in Riku's opinion. (But what did he know, anyway? He had been dead for the past 10 years.)

A few feet away from the ledge of the balcony, there was a steering wheel. It looked almost dead-on the stereo-typical pirate wheel (aside from the chrome cover, that is.)

Resisting the urge to talk with an 'arg' or look for Polly, he turned his attention to the back of the room, where figures clustered together.

Standing in the white light of not one, but several computer monitors, the figures were murmuring things like, 'Van' 'coordinates' and 'sector G and I', while shifting amongst themselves, wrapped up into a little world of their own.

Clearing his throat, the brunette stiffened and called,

"Excuse me, Zack?"

A hand raised, its owner with his back facing them, not bothering to look up. Feathered charcoal spikes were noticeable from that mane of his, and he had to be at least a foot taller than Sora.

Then again...it's _Sora_.

"Sir! There's...err...a new gu-person I would like your approval of. He's a stranger of sorts to-"

He blinked. 

Within seconds, the familiar tip of an enormous blade was centered between his eyes, leaving him with a froggy look.

Sora had been pushed (or thrown, but it was too fast for Riku to tell) across the room, where the others who had been mesmerized by the computer monitor watched in half amusement, half boredum.

One brunet with long hair placed his foot on Sora's stomach, preventing any escapes or rescue attempts, with a roll of the eyes.

The swordsman held the grand sword with one arm, bulky muscles showing off through tan skin. His eyes were shadowed over, as he looked to the floor stoically.

"Sora, what did I tell you, what did I teach you, what did you see-- Hell! What were you thinking, bringing a stranger here? He could be-"

"A heartless? He's not!"

The raven growled, but Sora went on.

"Look, I know I shouldn't have kept him a secret! But he's real, he's human! I didn't believe it at first either. In fact, I had almost killed him myself when-"

The blade nudged forward,

"When what?"

"When he knew my name out in the open."

Both the sword and its master were still.

"Oh? Is that right?"

Sora, with the thick boot being pressed into his sternum, nodded breathlessly. This other brunet guy was occasionally applying as much pressure as possible, just for kicks.

"His eyes, too. I had Zexion check him out. He has a heart."

"But how would he survive? How long has it been? Ten, twelve years? It would be impossible for anyone to survive that long without air, water, food. His body would look like a reject from Night of the Living Dead."

Riku examined this swordsman, taking a few dull-witted moments to realize that _this_ was Zack.

This was the leader that, without approval, would have him disposed of in minutes.

Oh, things were _not_ looking good.

"Please Zack, I didn't believe it either, but it's real. You can't kill him, not again. Let him be one of us! Let him help us! Use him wisely, instead of wasting a perfectly capable body and heart."

The leader glanced up, looking over Riku with equally blue eyes as _everyone_ else in this weird new world had. Arching an eyebrow, he smirked a little,

"This? Perfectly capable? It doesn't even look like he can walk, let alone fight."

"Please."

It was then, Riku made a mistake. A _very_ big mistake that almost caused his life to end once more.

"Why don't you just get Cloud? He'll recognize me, and you'll know Sora's telling the truth."

Any warmth or emotion evaporated into chilling silence.

Sora being the only exception, incredible cerulean eyes dulled down, to a melancholy sorrow and pain. The brunet was the first to move on to the anger stage. Glaring at the silverete, he pressed his foot down hard on Sora's stomach, forcing out a grunt.

"You...didn't tell him?"

Sora looked away in shame.

"He's your best friend, and you didn't tell him? ...Alright."

Zack threw his sword to the side, where the large brunet effortlessly caught it. With a swipe of his hand, Riku was lifted by his collar from the chair.

Piercing eyes stared into his own, hallowing them in ways a reaper has been described to.

"I'll let you live, for Sora's sake. You will never say Cloud's name again, alright? If you do, I will personally break that scrawny neck of yours, you got that Riku?"

Zack replaced him to his sitting position, and turned to Sora, who sheepishly looked away. But it didn't stop the next words his leader spoke.

"Sky, you've got yourself a kick-ass day of training tomorrow for not informing your superior about this."

"Yes Sir." 

Sora said, and the foot was removed, allowing him to sigh deeply in relief.

"You know he can't stay here without the training courses, right? Then there's the draft. So if you want to stay with your little friend, I'd recommend working him over extra hard."

With a nod, Sora brought himself to his knees.

"One more thing."

Glancing upwards, the teen paused in brushing off and rubbing his stomach.

"You should make sure he knows. Cloud, our enemy- everything. If you want him to survive in this horrid world, you'll do him that favor."

Swallowing with a scratchy throat, and clearing it a few times for good measure, Sora nodded once more, and rose to his feet.

Zack gave a sole nod, and, with the strong man who had so easily kept Sora down, returned to his place at the computer monitor.

With flushed cheeks, the brunette turned the wheelchair around, and proceeded to exit the main room. At that point, Riku wasn't sure whether to think it had went well, considering he was still alive, or that he may have been better off dead.

He felt even worse when Zack called to Sora, and they were at the edge of the door frame,

"Don't think I've forgotten about those extra drills Sky!"

The ride back to the infirmary was awkward.  
And silent.

The words Zackary had said lingered fresh in Riku's mind, like minty toothpaste on a droll Monday morning in class.

Cloud...again.

What had happened? Why is it every time he tried to ask Sora, he would either change the subject, pretend not to hear him, or worse, walk away?

Soon enough, it was over, and the entrance of the medical room leered its ugly head once more.

Holding out a hand to help his friend, Sora stared at the floor. Riku ignored the help, and stood on his own. With his back to the brunette, he remarked cooly,

"I'm getting stronger, you know."

Sora sorrowfully turned his gaze to the floor.

"Good night, Riku."

"Good night, Sora. You're not off the hook yet."

When the younger was about to question what that meant, Riku had already began to walk through the door, to his cot.

The brunette, yawning (Zack hadn't been kidding about the extra drills-- 67 miles running on a treadmill; no breaks), and saying loudly,

"Good morning, Riku. Look I'm sorr-"

He stopped cold in his tracks when the sight of Riku's bed came into view.

Empty.

Glancing around the room feverantly, he called,

"Zexion...Zex!"

The older stood from his crouch in the corner, stalking slowly towards his younger, from behind.

The trained sixth-sense of the brunette teen kicked in, a little too late.

He turned, but the silverette had already pushed Sora against the wall, moving himself so every escape route was covered, and the boy was trapped.

"Alright, sing. Where is Cloud? Why does Roxas, Zack- _everyone_ hate me so much just for saying his name?"

Sora shrank in the corner, averting Riku's piercing gaze. Glaring, the older shook Sora, making his back tap the wall a little. The brunette tried holding his ground, by keeping his eyes on it.

Until, that is, a pale hand forced his chin towards his disturbed, and so very sorrowful face.

"Please. I want to know."

Sora's eyes widened as if he wanted to cry.

"He's...dead."

Creasing his eyebrows in sudden anguish, and swallowing thickly, Riku responded with a dumbed,

"Really?"

The boy nodded feebly.

"He...It...A heartless. A heartless killed him in battle. It was a battle that we almost lost, a battle that would mean the end of any and all human settlements connected to us...Which is basically all of them."

"Tell me about it."

Riku, in his realization, didn't realize how painful it was for Sora to talk about his passed brother. But the younger went on.

"...About one and a half, maybe two years ago, it happened. We were attacked at the south wall, and we were met with an army. Everyone was giving their best, you know? Everyone. But...we got careless. A flight of heartless, led by a powerful leader, was going for the main-deck- that's where you met Zack. Most of us were distracted by bigger heartless, but Cloud noticed what they were doing.

You see, if the heartless ever breech the castle...it would be the end."

"Why?"

"First, they would kill as many as they could. Then they would go for the main-deck. It's there that all the information of tribes, cities, and every last human existence that we know of is. As it is right now, heartless are scattered all about the world. If they got together, as a whole, they would consume the planet. Cloud knew that. So he tried to stop them, by facing the leader." 

"But..."

"But he was outnumbered. Ven saw him, and rushed in to help."

"Who's Ven?"

"You'll meet him later. Anyway, the leader... he grabbed Ven's sword in mid-swing, and hit him back with it. He was about to kill him...but Cloud..." Sora took a deep breath, "It was a sacrifice, you know? The leader needed to kill one of them, and Cloud made it himself."

Shaking, Riku dropped to the floor, sitting on his bum with his hands brushing and clutching the tiled floor for support.

"Ven was..._isn't_, the same. You think Roxas and Zack reacted badly? Never mention it to Ventus. You'll see why when we meet him. You just can't stare, okay? Even though it wasn't his fault, he blames himself. It's pretty horrible."

"Sora...what's his name?" 

The brunette arched an eyebrow,

"Who?"

"The leader. That creature that killed Cloud."

A shiver ran down Sora's spine, bringing cold memories and a more painful present to light.

"Vanitas Umbra. Vain Shadow in ancient, dead language of Latin. He calls himself Vanitus."

Somehow, that name sounded extremely familiar.

"It is he who controls a majority of the heartless and began the attack on Earth. He's the one who started the war, and killed you."


	7. He's doing well, you know

"One and, two and, three and-- C'mon Riku!"

Long hairs wriggled free from their captivity, choosing to poke and prickle Riku's squinting eyes and bright pink cheeks.

The silverette grunted in annoyance; Sora was all too happy about the, as he called it, "Pre-training-Training".

According to Sora, Riku couldn't stay as a lazy gimp forever, and recruiting was going to start in two months, with hundreds of potential warriors from all about the globe coming in to be tested, ranked, and drafted to sectors.

It happened once or twice a year, and was highly recommended ("from the higher-ups") Riku join it as soon as it became possible.

Also, because of such a short training window, with the elder's general lack of knowledge about the world, waking up became a double-whammy; information was shoved down his throat while his muscles quivered and strained, attempting to keep up with the brunette's break-neck training pace.

Yesterday, the basics were covered.

No, school didn't rule the world anymore- that was a war between man and an enemy Sora referred to as 'The Heartless.' (One thing Riku noticed, if anything at all, was that his friend didn't like to mention Heartless or the war, or that leader, Vanitus.)  
But everyone was still very well educated (literate, armed with sarcastic-smart humor), whether it was self-teaching or with help from the neighbor-egghead Zexion.

Today Sora decided to, while watching Riku push himself up and down, up and down, from the earth, explain the basics of a soldier. (It wasn't nearly as easy for Riku; occasionally Sora would push his foot on the elder's back, which would both keep him in the correct push-up position, and add weight.)

"Riku, what do you think of when I say 'soldier'?"

Between pants, the thinking process began,

"I know... guys in camouflage, right? With guns... and stuff... Oh... I'm pretty sure there used to be this country song about one-"

"Riku, there were _loads_ of songs about soldiers, but anyway, that's not the right soldier. I'm actually talking about SOLDIER."

"And the- watch your foot!- difference is?"

"Soldiers are...Well... I guess there isn't too much a difference...just who you're fighting and what the qualifications are."

Panting, Riku's arms quivered and tingled, feeling a little like pudding in a bag.

"Humor me."

"When you were alive, what is now called 'before the shadows', BTS, you know how pretty much all the countries had an army?"

"Yeah."

"To be in the army, you were usually young, had to go through lots of 'training'- pfft." Sora began to laugh, shaking his head.

Arching an eyebrow, Riku took the chance while Sora was distracted to stop the aching torture that was push-ups. He sat, leaning back on his forearms.

"What's so funny? Wasn't that training horrible?"

Grinning with pearly whites, the brunette shook his head again,

"That's just the funny part. Nowadays, that stuff is kickball."

Smirking, Riku threw a look that said 'don't go over the top, there.'

"Oh really?"

"Yeah! I'm bein' serious! The Marines, the Green Berets, the SEALS, Delta force-- Potatoes compared to the stuff we go through!"

The older rolled his eyes,

"Suure Sora. I'll believe you." The sarcasm was all too familiar for Sora.

"Ugh! We do! Wait, why did you stop? You've got lots of catching up to do, why are you-?" Realization crossed his face, before anger, "You little devil. Get to work now!"

Riku groaned, and it was Sora's turn to have the look of the devil.

"Oh no, Riku, you aren't gettin' away with _just_ push-ups." He clicked his tongue, pulling Riku from the ground with a strong bicep, "Uh uh. You're gonna' work on your endurance now. Running. We'll start with a warm-up of a mile, then we'll get to the hard stuff. And of course, you'll have to pay attention, because I've got a lot of things to tell you about SOLDIER."

Groaning again, the silverette wondered if there was still a mysterious black market to sell off the younger to.

**June 13th**

_Zexion told me today that it's pretty much necessary to keep track of thoughts, processes, feelings I'm going to be going through, for future generations of science and what not._

_At least, that's what Sora translated through the thick accent of scien-ese._

_So I supose I'm going to have to write...for a while. Only until Zex stops cheking._

_I apalagize for any horrid grammer or anything else. Sora taught me how to function again, not to spell, so I'll be winging it._

_Today's training was kinda hard._

_Scratch that-- it was downright exsausting. It's funny how I can be dead for ten years, and when I come back to life I'm worked to the point where I want to be dead again._

_Anyway, Sora's been cramming my head with a bunch of knowledge...it's a little overwhelming._

_Like firstly, he told me that SOLDIERs fight things called heartless. I've heard the name a lot, but he didn't tell what they were until the very end._

_SOLDIERs protect the remaining human beings left on earth, and have to go through a series of tests. It's like this thing that was called the Olympics, except you don't get a medal. The real prize is being drafted._

_It could be anywhere in the world… but you really find yourself crossing your fingers to be drafted to this sector. (By the way, this sector is called Sector DI.)_

_After you go through the tests, and are assigned a sector, they do things to you. To show you're a true SOLDIER._

_Sora showed me this glass thing on his chest, something I saw the first day I woke up._

_It glows a light, deep blue...if that makes any sense._

_He says that everyone has a heart. Not that thing that pumps blood around your body, but one that's made of energy and light- located around the same place._

_It's where all of your emotions are, and a majority of your personality._

_Apparently that little piece of glass is actually six inches thick, and not glass at all. It's made from extracts of diamond to made it extremely strong. It does two things._

_Indicates the signs of a heart, and protects it._

_Sora tells me it's just procedure that they decided would be best- checking for hearts. I have a deep-gut feeling that, while it's true, there's something more to it, but I didn't want to bother him with that._

_He looked distressed when he told me about it._

_Another qualification for SOLDIER is a surgery. Aparently they do something with a chemical called Mako, and mess up your eyes so that they're blue. He says it's another security measure._

_Why so much security?_

_Anyway, an interesting fact I learned today. Axel hated being the same as everyone else (typical Axel) and had an eye condition (stigmatism?) anyway, so he's allowed to wear contacts._

_Lucky him._

_God I'm tired._

_Tomorrow, I'll explain what Heartless are... at least, I'll explain all that I've learned from Sora._

* * *

"A few more...let's go!"

Riku, cupping the back of his head, strained his stomach again as he raised his upper half to press against his knees.

Frowning, the brunette that stood over him shook his head slowly.

"I'm disappointed. More! Move it! Is this the mighty Riku I looked up to as a kid? I hope not."

Creasing his eyebrows in desperation and instinctive anger, he pushed harder.

Up. Down. Up. Down.

"...Try something else. Oh!"

Jumping to his feet, the brunette scanned the room, his eyes brightening upon something near Riku's bed. He grabbed something that shined for a brief moment in the light before being engulfed in a tan fist.

He approached the white wall, and proceeded to press what looked to be a scalpel against the wall, cutting away small lines.

When he was done, there were five circles, like an expanded target archers and guns men used.

Bullseye.

Sora reached, and pulled the enormous sword from his back. He held it to Riku, saying,

"Try to thrust my sword through one of the targets. Make it stick out from the wall on it's own."

The older stared at the gleaming metal for a few moments, then nodded. Riku took the blade, (almost falling to the ground under its weight) and raised it with shaky arms, while the younger stared closely.

Riku tried lifting the sword, and, after a few moments of trouble, got it to chest-height. With a weak grunt of attack, he pushed the blade through thick air, meeting the wall with a thump.

The impact threw him back a foot or two, pushing him to the floor on his bum. Sighing (while trying to hold back chuckles) the brunette ordered,

"Again."

After a few minutes, several tries, and a sore bum, Sora rolled his eyes, while his hands crossed each other on his chest.

"I can't believe this. I'm so ashamed...for you. This is pathetic! You should be better than this- you are better than this! _Even at ten_!...You were..."

He turned away from the older, towards the door of the infirmary. Sora kept his eyes away from Riku's crushed gaze. In a strong voice, the words he said next forced an eruption, a waterfall, of emotions that splayed across his face in bright colors.

"Just...stop. We can drop you off to a local village in a few hours. Maybe... maybe you can be of some use there. But _this_ isn't the right place for you, Riku. Please prepare yourself; the next time you see me will be when I pick you up to leave."

And with that, he was gone.

* * *

"Riku, I'm back. You ready?"

It was in the junction of night and morning, a bit more than the promised few hours.

Sora, with a large duffel bag on his back, oxygen mask at his belt (along with the various weapons), was clothed in military-issued black turtleneck zip-up jacket with matching baggy pants. Waiting a moment in silence, he frowned a little, and peered about the room.

"Riku? C'mon, it's time to-..."

A gleam abruptly tore his focus from finding Riku to the blank white canvas of destruction.

There, amongst numerous gashes and dents in the layered plaster wall, stood perpendicular an enormous blade.

"Oh my god..."

Fascinated, the brunette came closer, cocking his head to the side, and daring to brush his fingertips across the smoothness.

Glancing once more, Sora called,

"Riku! Where-?"

His question was answered with a shifting of sheet on sheet.

An uncontrollable soft-smile popped upon his face. Riku was sprawled across the hospital bed, hair frumpled and disarray. He was clutching his pillow (in what, Sora thought, was a substitute for a teddy bear) and a small line of drool oozed from his lower lip.

Closing his eyes, Sora nodded in approval, whispering,

"_That's _the Riku I know."

* * *

"_That's a little harsh there Sor. Did you really mean that?" Rolling his eyes, the brunette threw a glare to the scientist._

"_Yeah Zex, because I really want my best friend in the whole world, who was taken away from me for about thirteen years, to go away so easily. Yeah. **Brilliant** deduction there Zexion."_

"_My, my, sarcasm isn't necessary, dear boy. I'm merely curious as to why you said such things to him, if he **is **your best friend."_

"_It wasn't me. Zack... he didn't think Riku had it in him to become SOLDIER, so he told me I had to give him a test."_

"_Ahh, yes. I believe the Draft is coming soon, isn't it?"_

"_Yeah...I'm real proud of Riku, too. I was surprised he was able to pick up that sword on the first try."_

"_Heh heh, I remember **your** first try."_

"_Shut up!"_

**July 1st**

_It's really late...but I suceeded in the task I was given._

_I just hope Sora really didn't mean to say so coldly that he could send me away without a care..._

_I've been waiting for him, but I think I'll pass out any moment._

_The "Draft" is coming soon...and there are a lot of things I want to ask Sora. I haven't gotten the chance yet because he keeps me so damned busy with working myself to the bone._

_Ugh._

* * *

**A/N**

**Sorry folks, I know it's slow. ^^; And I know I should update more. Finals, testing, the end of track season, it's taking a toll on me. I appreciate you sticking with me!**

**I'd like to ask you to leave your thoughts-- it makes my day!**


	8. Follow the rules

"Come on! Get her! Hook your lef- there you go! Aqua! What's wrong? Don't let him get the best of you! You-… A little…'Atta girl!"

Sora, arm-in-arm with his best friend, with a proud posture, smirked mischievously.

"That's them now... Sparring."

They paused a moment, listening to jibes and cheers from the same deep voice, while cries of attack rang through the open door, and into the hallway.

"C'mon! It's between Aqua and Ven, and you _don't_ wanna' miss _them_ spar! It's awesome!"

Bouncing up and down, the younger seized Riku's hand, and yanked him into the open room.

At the elementary school, what Riku could remember of it at least, there was a gymnasium. Relatively enormous to his young body, during class he would always marvel at the size (before forgetting completely to pound another kid in the face with a dodge ball). He felt like a mouse in an empty room in the house.

Upon stepping inside the massive dojo-like gym, the faded feelings returned at full force.

Wooden bleachers lined up one of the eight walls in the room, while various other (enormous) weapons littered the rest. Riku wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if they weren't just for decoration. A large red outlining of about three feet surrounded the octagon, while the red seeped up the corners in straight lines, with the occasional marker every ten feet.

Two figures blurred across his vision, jumping around the room at wicked speeds. The only sign they were there at all was the _clang_ and flash of light coming from two swords swung with great strength. A brunet stood a few feet away from the red outline, cheering them on.

"Come on! Try to make it to fifty! Let's go!"

The blurs became faster, or rather, became harder to see. The _clang_s became erratic and booming, the light came faster than lightning ever had. It was a little like fireworks- loud and bright, but spectacular and memorizing. In fact, after a few minutes of staring at the figures, Riku realized he had forgotten to blink. With burning eyes, he opened and closed his lids faster than a hummingbird's heartbeat.

And missed it.

"Uh!"

The cry of defeat rang from one of the blurs, and all at once, the smudges became people, and fell to the wooden dojo floor.

They landed, luckily (or was it skillfully?) on their armored feet with a soft _clunk_.

The shorter one had armor with various plates of red, black, silver, and gold, with two spike-like curves on the top of his helmet. It reminded Riku of a bird, like a hawk or something.

The taller one had a darker tone- burgundy, black, silver, and a little dark blue in some plates. This figure was female, judging from the breastplate. Her helmet had similar curved spikes, these pointing down, like a swooping eagle.

Not an inch of flesh was shown on either.

Both were panting, and, after a few moments, it registered to the brunet that there were a few visitors in the gym. He turned, eyes brightening and a smirk-grin mix.

"Sora! How's it goin'? You haven't came down here in the longest time! What kept ya'? I heard that Zack really kicked your ass a few weeks ago. Was that-" 

In midst of reconnecting with Sora, his eyes caught Riku's. He stopped, arching an eyebrow.

"And...who might this be?"

Unbeknownst to the eye, the air became stiff. The armored people had regained stamina, and stood behind the brunet in a triangle-sort formation, instinctively. The fact that tinted plates covered their facial expressions and eyes gave Riku the "heebie-jeebies."

By then, Sora had stood, and moved defensively in front of Riku. His fingertips brushed across the blade strapped to his back.

"This is my friend, Riku. It took him a long time to get here..."

"_Wait._"

One of the armored ones spoke- the shorter. His voice sounded strange, filtered almost, through the thick helmet.

"_Riku? Didn't Roxy and I help you bury a guy named Riku? And he looks...oh my God...That's him."_

The female, and Ven's tone, visibly tensed. She tightened her grip on the sword she had yet to put away from the duel.

"Yeah Ven, it's him."

"_But that's not possible..._"

"He walks before you; his heart's intact and bright. It's true, Ventus."

Riku closed his eyes for the sake of being polite, and rolled them underneath the lids.  
Why was meeting new people a constant death threat? Was the hearty 'hey there, nice to meet you' just not good enough for people anymore?

A noise ripped from Ventus, making Riku snap his lids open once more.

The armor began to vanish, as if dissolving into thin air, and within a few moments, there stood a blonde.

He looked so much like Roxas, Riku half-expected the blonde to lash out at the sight of him.

But, after a minute of close examination, there were faint differences between the two that became apparent.

Ven was taller, by a few inches. Roxas' eyes were a slightly darker shade of blue. Ven was much more muscular. He seemed to be a little nicer too.

The blonde's eyes flashed with hope, a low, pathetic sign of hope.

"This is...This could mean...Cloud? Could we-"

The degree mark cooled below freezing, once the forbidden name was spoken.

"No Ven. _That_ will never happen, and you know it."

His gaze drooped to the floor, with a brisk,

"Oh."

It hadn't really come to Riku's attention before, but there was something missing. He wore a few layers of short-sleeves; a short-sleeved jacket, a short-sleeved half-turtle neck- yes, he would win a layer contest.

But where his right arm was supposed to be, there was a long black glove.

Now, Riku always had something of a symmetrical-OCD. When outfits weren't matching on either side (or at least, were dramatically different), it drove him up a wall. (Axel had quite a load of fun with this information when they were young.)

But it wasn't his OCD that brought the attention to the glove. It wasn't the fact that the glove was much like ones women used when seeing a fancy play, and clashed but the outline of the glove.

Comparing Ven's right arm to his left, the right was, without any exaggeration, a pole. It was incredibly skinny, impossibly skinny, and clearly out of proportion with the rest of his body. The thin pole led to oddly curved outlines of what would be very sharp

He must've made his gaze too obvious, because Ventus gave him a hurt look, while subconsciously stroking the glove. Ven stared at the strange arm, a wistful look drawing on his features. Although he only saw Sora do so, the others also glared at Riku for a split second, as if to say, '_watch it_.'

"Sorry...Riku, was it? Sorry, I banged up my other one, and I'm waiting for Lightning to get back to me on it. The other looks more natural- this is the spare. I'm sorry if it's a distraction."

Shaking his head, Riku tore his gaze away from the arm to Ven's face.

"No, no. It's me, it's rude to stare, after all."

A sad smile crossed briefly across his features and vanished when Aqua spoke, now in strange clothing that matched her armor.

"So Sora, why's your pet here?"

The brunette pouted, exaggerating his reaction by flailing his arms and practically yelling,

"He's not a pet! He's my best friend! Ugh!"

**. . .**

It was after the intense training session between the three, Ventus spoke up. Sora was having an animated conversation with Aqua and Terra, and Riku was standing by the door, silently watching, shaking his head with a small smile.

"Riku."

The voice startled him, and continued even before the two made eye contact.

"I want you to listen. Listen good."

Ven pointed towards the three, who were laughing at something Terra had said, smiling a little.

"I know you like Sora...And it might even be more than the 'just friends' kinda' like too. Which would be..." The smile perked for a second, letting the sentence drop off there. "Anyway, I need for you to do me a favor."

Riku returned with a warm half-smile.

"And what's that?"

Ventus gave him a cold look, his posture stiffened, his eyes a color described as ice.

"When you go into training...for the draft. I don't care how distant or crazy some of the rules seem..." The glove slid off, revealing a crude metallic work that imitated a human arm. The look in Ven's eye's could never be as serious. "_Follow them_. All of them."

With that, he nodded once, and strolled towards the others, laughing and whirling the conversation up once more with some story about walking in on Roxas and Axel.

-  
_Knights._

_That's what Sora said Ven Terra and Aqua are. They're the knights of this 'sector'. Sora said a bunch of other stuff about um, but I didn't get it. He tries to explain a lot of things to me, but most of them don't make any sense...at all._

_I'm surprised that he doesn't get angry or frustrated, but usually he just laughs and says that it's gotta be hard to take all of this in._

_Has it really only been ten years?_  
**. . .**

**Golden wings enveloped a small, familiar blonde. **

**Riku tried to move, only to find white fingertips clutching the toes of his boots, keeping him in place. The once-comfortable warmth of this place (that reminded him of childhood nights underneath a mountain of covers) was becoming unbearably dry. To the severe degree of desert sand baking in the sun.**

"**Cloud, run!"**

**The gold was alluring, but he knew there was something more to the angel wings on the blonde's back. Some horrible.**

"**Please, get away!"**

**The feathers began to wrap around the small child, ensnaring him in a soft golden blanket. His eyelids were becoming harder and harder to keep up; sagging, just like the rest of his body began to do, into the spectacular gold.**

**His foggy blue eyes saw Riku once more, before a feeble movement of moving his fingers in unison.**

A silent wave of good bye.

"**No!"**

**Cloud was swallowed, and the gold died, leaving him alone in a new place.**

**A place was hard, and bright. And cold.**

**. . .**

"_Cloud!_"

He was forced into sitting up, the muscles in his back doing somersaults. Sweat beaded down the back of his neck, and breathing was shallow and hard to do.

_'Just a nightmare...'_

Taking in the rest of the room, the oh-so-familiar room Riku had come to memorize wholey in detail over the past few months.

It was hot and humid, like a day at the islands, without the vast ocean to cool them down.

His muscles returned to normalcy, and he was about to get a glass of water, when the screaming came. It was high-pitched, and hurt his soul just by listening to the immense torture the voice was going through.

Glancing towards the door, he threw back the sheets, and crept towards it.

He did so cautiously, as if he was expecting the door to come alive and devour him.

The screaming became worse, closer.

Riku jumped a few feet in shock when the door slid open mechanically, breathing cool air in his face. Without the interference, the screaming echoed around the dark lab, growing more and more desperate.

He sprinted across the lab, ignoring the small scientist who gave him a look and asked why he was up so late.

Riku ran at the door, which wouldn't open automatically. He turned to the scientist, who was eyeballing him curiously.

"Open the door! Now!"

Zexion gave him that look.

"Why? Riku, _what _are you doing?"

"That screaming...can't you hear it?"

Gazing at the door, there was silence between the two of them as Riku resisted the great urge to cover his ears. After a moment, Zexion nodded, arching an eyebrow,

"Yeah. But it's so...faint. How'd you hear it from your room?"

Blinking in a way that would convey the message '_What the hell_?', he spoke slowly.

"You call..._that _faint? It's...ugh! Open the door Zex-now!"

He had to help this person- dear god, what was wrong with them?

Hearing the tone of voice, the scientist realized there wasn't any point in trying to convince Riku in going back to bed (with the tests and training he had done to catch Riku up to speed with his age, there was one thing that was painfully obvious- he was stubborn.)

Zexion glided across the room, positioning himself before one of the tables, and doing something that made the door glow a tranquil blue, and slid open easily.

The hallway was empty.

But the screams were in his ear. His fingers curled, eyes clamping shut, threatening to roll to the back of his skull, which was pounding.

He took a few steps out of the lab, the floor freezing the sensitive flesh of his feet. Eyes scanned about the hall, landing on a door to his far left. Riku jogged to it, and stood a few feet outside of it, listening as the screaming slowly died down.

Riku stepped forward, making the familiar blue glow appear around the edges.

It slid open.

The room it led into was small and emotionless. The walls, the floors, and every piece of furniture (a writing desk and a tiny box-spring bed) was painted the color of white.

White, white, white.

The key-points of the room that made it look occupied were the hundreds of pieces, strips, scraps, and whole papers that cluttered every inch of the room. There were pictures with vivid flamboyant colors on every bit.

Another sign of occupation was the figure, wriggling and writhing on the bed, screaming.

The person flipped and shook so quickly, Riku couldn't make out any features, including gender and hair color.

He hesitantly approached the bed, keeping his eyes locked on the figure, remaining silent until the screaming came to a name,

"_Sora!_"

With that, Riku rushed to the person, and put his hands on their small shoulders. They thrashed about, until Riku pushed (her/him) down, pressing them against the sheets.

The screaming abruptly stopped and after a few moments of shaking, the person was still.

"Hey. Are you alright? Hey! _Hey!_"

Lashes delicately fluttered against flushed cheeks, lids opened-

To a pair of wide golden eyes,

"Riku."


End file.
